Pooh Waited
by ThisIsMeTryingToBeSmart
Summary: Every day they played together, and every day they said farewell, and every night Pooh waited for Christopher Robin to return the next day.


Once upon a time, there was a boy and a bear. The boy's name was Christopher Robin and the bear's Winnie the Pooh. When Christopher Robin was young, he and Pooh would go on adventures together every day through The Hundred Acre Wood. Every day they played, and every day they said farewell, and every night Pooh waited for Christopher Robin to return the next day.  
One day, Christopher Robin, a tall, slim boy of ten, sat under his favorite tree with his favorite friend after a long day of playing. The sun was going down, but Christopher Robin couldn't leave just yet. He had something important to say, if only he knew how to begin.  
Pooh sat next to the young boy with a content smile on his face. He could tell that something was bothering his companion, but it was the yellow teddy's custom to forget such bothers until they absolutely must be dealt with. So, the bear didn't worry about his friend's bother. Instead, he smiled and picked at the grass and thought about the coming autumn.  
They sat in silence for a minute or two before the little boy spoke up in a voice so small and scared that Pooh had to lean in to hear him.

"Pooh, do you remember a few years ago when I went to school for the first time? You and the others thought that I had been kidnapped or something."  
Pooh nodded with a smile. Sure, the journey to find the boy hadn't been completely jolly, but when the child found him, Pooh had been filled with an immeasurable amount of joy and relief. Pooh noticed that Christopher Robin was smiling too, but only a little bit. Why did he seem so upset today?  
"Do you remember," the little boy continued, "the day before that, the day when I told you that one day I might not be able to be with you one day?"  
Pooh nodded. He was now worrying a little bit, but pushed the feeling aside. Maybe Christopher Robin was just talking about going back to school. Yeah, that's all.  
The little boy played with his hands as he spoke, "Well, I'm in the fifth grade now, and fifth graders don't usually play with their stuffed animals every day."  
Pooh didn't like what Christopher Robin was saying. He didn't like it at all. It sounded like he was saying that he would never come back to play again. What happened to forever? He said forever! The little bear decided to speak up.  
"Are you leaving forever?"  
It was a sad, quiet question- a question that Christopher Robin wasn't sure how to answer. Was he leaving forever? No, of course not! He would come back, just not as often. He explained this to his bear friend.  
"Do you understand, Pooh? I'm not leaving forever, just for longer periods of time. It'll be like I'm at school for a long time."  
Pooh nodded, though he did not understand very much at all. He tried to think of the good thinks about this. He would have more things to talk about with Christopher Robin when he came to visit. He would have more time to talk to Piglet and Tigger and Kanga and everyone else. Yes, there were good thinks; he just needed to think those thinks.  
That day Christopher Robin said farewell, and he didn't come back for another five years. And, for five years, Pooh waited.

Once upon Christopher Robin's fifteenth birthday, he walked to his and Pooh's tree with two other boys. They stumbled as they walked, for their drinks were not exactly alcohol-free. The two boys were speaking in a very loud and obnoxious manner while Christopher Robin giggled drunkenly behind them.  
They got to the tree deep within the wood and plopped to the ground around the trunk of it. One of the boys took out a carton of cigarettes and distributed them to the others. Christopher Robin, who was slightly tipsier than the others, dropped his while reaching for the lighter.  
The cigarette had fallen next to a faded yellow foot, a faded yellow foot that belonged to a tattered Winnie the Pooh. Christopher Robin picked up his old best friend. His eyes filled with tears as he remembered their adventures together.  
He didn't get to mourn for too long, though. One of his new friends grabbed the bear, made some stupid comment and started kicking him around. Christopher did nothing but take a drag and watch. He was too old to worry about his old life now.  
Pooh watched through his button eyes as Christopher Robin left him again. This time, Pooh waited forever and ever.


End file.
